Just Love Hardware Stores

Don't you just love hardware stores? I do. I just love walking up and down each aisle seeing how I might use a specific object in a manner for which it was not originally intended. Just last Sunday, during a leisurely stroll through OSH I discovered the answer to my messy shed problem.

The problem arose since I could not get the treadles perfectly balanced. Two shafts would rest above the other six on top of the loom when the pedals were not in use. I could weave with it that way...just had to push down the two shafts whenever they caused a gap in the shed.

In this summer and winter pattern, I need to use all ten treadles. It's the first time I have ever used them all. Two treadles are used for the tabby and the other eight for the pattern. It turns out that shaft one and/or two are used on all but one of the ten treadles. This causes an imbalance which no different tie up combination or order would fix.

Going back to my stroll in OSH...I found some plated metal rods which I thought might solve my messy shed problem. My DH attached the rods on the top of each of the two shafts which were popping up. He used those plastic cable ties. The rods were heavy enough that gravity did its thing and brought the shafts down to the correct position. And now I have a lovely clear open shed on every pass.

Hardware stores are good.